Altium buys electronic parts content and search providers

August 24, 2015 //
By Graham Prophet

Altium has its intention to acquire two leading electronic parts content and search providers, Octopart and Ciiva. With this acquisition the company aims to expand its product lineup to include an integrated content strategy for enhanced component management workflows.

A definitive purchase agreement has been signed to acquire Octopart, a provider of electronic parts data and specialised inventory search. A finalised agreement has been signed to acquire Ciiva, a cloud-based electronic component management system that controls and tracks components throughout the product lifecycle management process. These acquisitions, says Altium will allow it to expand its product lineup to include an integrated content strategy for enhanced component management workflows.

“The acquisitions of Octopart and Ciiva represent a significant step forward in the evolution of the Altium content strategy,” said Aram Mirkazemi, CEO at Altium. “Tightly integrated CAD models and part supply information will bring a state change to the way in which parts selection and component management are performed during and after the design process is completed.”

Octopart provides Altium with direct access to over 30 million electronic and industrial components, allowing it to expand its content offering for users of its PCB design tools. Altium users will also benefit from an extensive supplier database network provided by Octopart, allowing designers to directly connect to the electronic component distributors and manufacturers.

The acquisition of Ciiva will allow Altium to provide users with an integrated parts management solution that enables engineers to overcome BOM and component data management challenges. The integration of the tools, content, and services between Altium and Ciiva will provide specialised design and data management capabilities throughout the entire product design process.

All services and solutions offered by Octopart and Ciiva will continue to operate as usual, with no changes for current customers. Altium will be working closely with Ciiva and Octopart in the coming months to integrate their existing technologies and data management platforms into the Altium ecosystem. Future information about the developments of this integration by can be found on the Octopart blog and Ciiva blog .